


Marinette March 2020

by Nakira Taisho (nakirataisho)



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: I won't tag the ships, Marinette March, Multi, because there's no set ship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-04
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:21:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 12,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23016193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nakirataisho/pseuds/Nakira%20Taisho
Summary: It's that time of year again for a collection of random drabbles and headcanons to appreciate Marinette Dupain-Cheng
Comments: 3
Kudos: 21





	1. New Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New starts aren’t always what’s expected...

Ladybug was surprised that the wasps didn't sting her or Chat Noir when they emerged from the water and dropped their aquatic forms. Even more surprising was that they didn't go after Luka when he handed the yo-yo back to her. The plan was simple and considering their enemy's track record, she was fairly sure it would work. She and Chat hid behind a pillar and watched as Luka walked towards a gathering of people.

Queen Wasp (or whatever she was calling herself with the added accessories) chided him for being late and then demanded that the gathered people arm themselves. When she finished handing out Miraculous, Nino and Kagami were the only ones without Miraculous. They all transformed and Ladybug nudged Chat Noir.

The two heroes leapt into action. All of them summoned their powers, but it was easy enough to take them all down. The fight was made all the easier when the enemy realized that Viperion was working against them and not actually under Queen Wasp's control. The Akuma was captured and just as Ladybug was about to fix everything, Chloé started putting on Miraculous. After the fourth Kwami emerged, she passed out and Ladybug gathered up the Miraculous.

Hawkmoth rushed her and she blocked with her sword.

A coughing caught everyone's attention and Mayura collapsed on the roof where her Sentimonster was trying to break through Fu's shield. Hawkmoth abandoned his attempts to retrieve the Miraculous from Ladybug and grabbed the box before rushing to help his partner.

" _The Miraculous and my memory I bequeath to my apprentice_ ," Fu shouted in Min before he collapsed and the box of Miraculous flew out of Hawkmoth's grip and turned into an egg-shaped container of sorts and dropped into Ladybug's arms. Realizing their defeat, Hawkmoth picked Mayura up and fled the scene.

"What did he just say…?" Chat Noir muttered and Ladybug shook her head, fixing everything and turning her attention to Chloé.

"Chat…take care of Fu. And…and take his Miraculous…he…won't be needing it anymore," she sighed before taking the rest of the Miraculous that Chloé had snatched up and putting them in the new container. The blonde came to and glared at Ladybug.

"How _dare you_!" she shouted.

"I could list all of the reasons I haven't willingly given you the Bee Comb since _you_ got your father Akumatized, but I don't have time for that. And particularly after this stunt…I'll be finding _someone else_ to use the Bee Comb as needed," she said sharply before retrieving the Snake Bangle from Luka and vaulting away. She barely made it home before losing her transformation.

Marinette hid the gaudy egg in her closet and fed Tikki. So, she was now in charge of the box, Luka knew her identity…and Fu was out of the picture. She'd hoped for a change in pace…some new way to balance her life, but this was a new beginning she wasn't prepared for. At least with Luka being in on her secret, she could confide in her boyfriend more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hit me up on [Tumblr](https://sorcerymuses.tumblr.com/ask) or [buy me a coffee](https://ko-fi.com/nakirataisho)


	2. Letting Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Friendly advice goes a long way...

Marinette smiled a little as she went up to the restaurant with her sketchbook in hand. Honestly, she wondered how Clara Rossignol got her phone number to call her to meet for lunch, but she was happy about it. Clara had mentioned wanting to commission her for something and it was exciting. She stepped inside and Clara waved at her, so she went to join her.

"Marinette! I'm so glad you could make it," Clara said brightly. "And you brought your sketchbook!" Marinette nodded and sat down.

"You said you wanted to talk about a commission, so I figured I could see if we can get some ideas drawn up while we're chatting," she explained. "But I thought you almost exclusively used Gabriel Agreste for your wardrobe…"

"Nothing he sent my way lately felt right for this…"

"What's the occasion?" she asked, opening up her sketchbook.

"I have a date this weekend."

"Oh! So, what do you guys have planned? Just so I can get an idea of what you might be looking for," she pulled out a pencil and they started talking about the date plans. Marinette started sketching while they talked.

"Wait!" Clara gasped as Marinette went to start on a new page. "That one's amazing!"

"Really? It's not exactly your usual style…"

"Well, I don't want to be immediately recognizable with the paparazzi…Catalina isn't used to the glitz and glamour…"

"So, you want to just be Clara for a day. Got it," Marinette laughed. "I guess being famous is hard…," she trailed off, remembering the Gorizilla incident. The tabloids had a field day with the photos people took of her and Adrien that day.

"It's not so bad, really. When it's what you want."

"I guess that's true. So, about this outfit…," Marinette tapped the page with her pencil. Clara opened her mouth to say something when the server came by with their food. Marinette put the sketchbook to the side and started to eat.

"I admit, Marinette…you seem rather uneasy. It's not because of my sudden request…is it?"

"Oh no…it's not that at all, Clara," she assured her. "It's just…you know…I've never been on a real date."

"Really? You're very cute and kind…I would think people would be clamouring for a date with you."

"Well, a couple of people have shown interest, but I guess I've been pretty focused on trying to win this one guy over…"

"I sense a 'but' there."

"Well, he's interested in someone else. And every time I try and tell him how I feel, something terrible happens…and to make it worse, he asked me for help with a date. The one single member of our friend group…like I would have better dating advice than the couples all around us…"

"Oh Marinette…I'm no expert in love…but it sounds like you're only hurting yourself chasing this guy."

"Considering it's a miracle with some of the stunts I've pulled trying to get with him that I haven't ended up in the hospital…," Marinette sighed, remembering a few of her more hair brained schemes. "And on top of that…the girl that he likes is a friend of mine and I know she likes him back…"

"If you want advice, I don't have any. Besides that, you should do what's best for yourself."

"And…what's best for this outfit would be…I'm seeing hummingbirds and roses," she reached for the sketchbook and drew rough shapes of the print that suddenly hit her.

"Brilliant! You're a genius, Marinette."

"I wouldn't go that far…," she mumbled, blushing at the praise. Clara laughed and they started talking about pricing, something that Marinette actually had never thought much about.

* * *

An Akuma delayed Marinette on her way to the craft store to get supplies after she got Clara's measurements and cleaned up the design a bit for her approval. Fortunately, the Akuma was easy enough to deal with and she got to work. While she worked, she thought a lot about what Clara had said about doing what was best for herself.

"Marinette! Your friend Juleka is here!" her mother called from downstairs and Marinette cursed. She'd completely forgotten that she'd asked Juleka to model a few designs for her website.

"I'm kind of elbow deep in dye at the moment!" she called back. "Go ahead and send her up!" Juleka came into the room a moment later.

"Elbow deep in dye? What are you working on?"

"A commission for…a pretty important client. It's for her first date and I want it to be perfect," she sighed. "I completely forgot we were going to do some photos today or I would have let you know to reschedule…"

"It's fine. Can I help? Maybe we can still do the photos after you get cleaned up? Wait…are you doing tie-dye?" Juleka gasped as Marinette picked up a tied-up wad of fabric and started dipping it in the bowls of dye.

"For the accents, yes," she laughed. "Once I get them laid out to dry, we can clean up and I'll take a break." Already, she was reworking her plan for the project to fit in the modelling session. She'd managed to find a rose printed fabric while she was shopping, so all she had to do was add the hummingbirds after she made the skirt and put together a rosette and gem applique for the blouse. She pointed to her notes on her desk and Juleka looked at them.

"Clara's measurements? Not…Clara Rossignol?"

"Yep. That Clara. Look, you can't tell anyone. I don't want a lot of attention over this…"

"Okay…this is a really cool looking outfit. You'll have to take pictures when it's done." Marinette nodded and finished dying the bundles of fabric.

"Okay, done. Once I get this cleaned up, we can get those pictures taken. Thanks for offering to do this, Juleka…after the last time, I wouldn't think you'd want to model for me again." Juleka shrugged as they started cleaning up the dye set up.

"Yeah…it wasn't your fault though, so it's no big deal. We all know Alya would do just about anything to try and get you with Adrien."

"Yeah…about that…I'm seriously thinking about letting go of that crush…it's just hurting me in the long run when he likes someone else and everything keeps going wrong when I try to confess. I even confessed in that video we sent to him and he didn't even see it…," she admitted as she took the dyed bundles to her balcony to dry in the sun.

* * *

Marinette finished the outfit for Clara and delivered it before going to the Couffaine's houseboat. She found Luka sitting on his bed meditating and she smiled a bit.

"Hey Luka," she said softly and he looked at her.

"Hey Marinette. Juleka's not here…"

"Well, I came to see _you_ …I kind of wanted to know if…you'd want to go out with me sometime?" He lit up.

"But what about Adrien?"

"I've…decided to let go of that…sorry if it seems like I'm using you as a rebound…," she mumbled.

"It's fine. I told you I'd be here for you," he said lightly. "So, what did you have in mind?"

"Well, Jagged Stone gave me backstage passes for his concert coming up. We can go to the concert and…maybe go to dinner or something?"

"That sounds pretty cool."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hit me up on [Tumblr](https://sorcerymuses.tumblr.com/ask) or [buy me a coffee](https://ko-fi.com/nakirataisho)


	3. Vacation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette’s grandmother steals her away to go on an ocean adventure

Marinette watched the news as Chat Noir and the new Ladybug fought an Akuma. It felt weird not being in the action, but with the box in her possession she couldn't risk her identity if she needed to get help. She rubbed the Rat Miraculous between her fingers, watching the fight carefully. The two heroes managed to defeat the Akuma and she sighed in relief. Mullo laughed beside her and she shot a look at the Kwami.

"What? Every time there's an Akuma you get all antsy, wanting to be out there when you said you were only going to go out if they needed help."

"I'm still getting used to not being Ladybug…," she defended herself. "Though I'm glad Chat Noir seems to be working well with Alya…and she's finally stopped trying to expose the heroes…"

"Marinette! Come downstairs please!" her father called and she got up. Mullo flew into her jacket and they went downstairs.

"What's up, Baba?"

"Well, your grandmother--"

"We are going on a trip, _mi Fata_ ," Gina said brightly. "Just the two of us for the summer!"

"Wait, what?"

"Come along! Get your things. The flight leaves this evening."

"But, Nona--"

"No buts dear," her grandmother laughed before turning and leaving the apartment.

"She's not serious…is she?"

"You know your grandmother…," her father laughed. "You need a vacation anyways, Marinette. This will be good for you. Go pack. Your grandmother said something about New Zealand, so pack accordingly…"

"Fun…," she sighed and went up to her room. "Mullo…what are we going to do?"

"Well, you could always leave the box in Luka's care. Since he knows about all this," the Kwami suggested. "It didn't seem like even your parents would give you a chance to get out of this…"

"Right…So I'll just…pack and take the box to Luka…," she agreed, resigning herself to her fate. First, she did a little research on the weather in New Zealand so she would know what to pack. She was shocked by the projected temperatures for _winter_ there.

She packed her things, sticking to shorts and skirts along with her swimsuit. She also made sure to put a few beach supplies in her bag and stuffed the Miracle Box into the top of her bag and headed for the door.

"Where are you going, Marinette?" her mother asked.

"To Luka's. I think my boyfriend at the very least deserves to know that Nona is kidnapping me," she said brightly before hurrying out. She got on her bike and went to the houseboat.

"Ahoy Marinette!" Anarka greeted. "What brings ye by?"

"I need to talk to Luka. Is he in his cabin?" she asked as she leaned her bike against a speaker.

"Nay, he's off in the crow's nest writing something or other."

"Thanks," she started climbing the rigging and found Luka exactly where his mother had said, writing in a notebook. "You got a minute?"

"Oh, hey Marinette. What's up?"

"Can I leave the Box with you for a while? My grandmother just came by and gave me like three hours to pack before she kidnaps me for the summer."

"Sure. Do you have it with you?" he asked, putting his notebook aside.

"It's in my bag on the deck."

"Then let's find a place for it in my room. Juleka's spending the summer with Rose…out of the country…so it's just me in there for the break."

She nodded and they made their way down and to his cabin. Marinette put her bag on his bed and pulled the box out. Luka pointed out a spot in the corner behind his guitar stand and she tucked the box into the corner.

"I have a list in the top with a quick reference to their powers and the people I've been giving them to…you got this?"

"Yes, Marinette, relax and enjoy your vacation. Where are you going?"

"My dad said that Nona mentioned New Zealand…other than that, I have no idea what she's planning."

"Well, they do a lot of sailing in that region…you could take a few of my mom's sailing guides," he offered.

"Thanks," she laughed and kissed his cheek.

"No problem. Have fun on your vacation."

"Oh, and remember not to use the Snake Miraculous. Hawkmoth knows that you were Viperion so…"

"Marinette, babe," he put both hands on her shoulders. "I've got this. Just relax and have a good trip. You really need this."

"Okay…I'll try…I'm just…"

"You're still getting used to not being Ladybug and not having to drop everything to deal with every single Akuma," he sighed. "I get it. Just go grab those books and have fun with your grandmother, okay?"

She nodded and kissed him. He returned the kiss for a moment and pushed her out the door and up the stairs to the deck.

"Mom, you know where the books on sailing are?" he called to his mother while she worked on the rigging.

"Probably in the galley somewhere? None of us have messed with them in a while, so I don't know."

"I'll just buy some before I meet my grandmother at the airport," Marinette laughed.

"At least let me see if I can find them," Luka argued, heading back down the stairs. She shook her head and waited for him, smiling a bit. It was a few minutes before he came back with two books in hand. "Found them."

"Okay then," she laughed and put the books in her bag. "I'll see you when I get back…"

* * *

Marinette read the sailing books on the plane and she was glad for it, because Gina up and bought an outrigger canoe after they landed in Auckland and got their bags. Marinette stopped by a shoppe near the docks and got a few things before they went out on the water, namely a waterproof lock box to put her things in.

While they packed things up on the canoe, Marinette tried to talk some sense into her grandmother. If they were going to go boating, they needed to at least know what they were doing. Gina insisted they would be okay and pushed the boat out before Marinette was on board. She made a running leap onto the canoe and glared at her grandmother, who was struggling with the rigging.

"Nona, what were you thinking?" she groaned as the wind helped them past the reef. "Do you know anything about sailing?"

"I've been on a rowboat before, _mi fata_ …how different could it be?"

" _Nona_! This is why I was trying to get you to wait," she griped, shifting the oar. "So, any plans on where we're going?"

"Wherever the wind takes us," she drawled and Marinette smacked her forehead. She got the feeling they didn't even have any food.

"Nona did you buy any food before we set out? Or a fishing pole? Or _anything_ to get us anywhere?"

"We have fishing supplies," her grandmother defended herself, pulling some stuff out. She looked back to the land and tried to gauge if they could just turn around, but the wind must have been stronger than she thought because the harbour was already quite a way off and a mist was blowing in.

"And nothing to cook any fish we catch…we're lucky I have sewing supplies and listened to my boyfriend's suggestion of studying up on sailing during the flight…," she groaned. "Honestly, Nona…did you think this trip through at all?"

"Where's your sense of adventure, Marinette?"

"I see where Jagged gets his impulsiveness from…," she mumbled, tugging a rope to keep the sail steady.

* * *

They ate raw fish for dinner and Marinette saw the vague outline of an island in the distance. She steered the boat towards it and tried to stay on course, hoping that there were people on the island that could give her some pointers on getting back to Auckland. Her grandmother fell asleep shortly after dark and Mullo helped Marinette stay awake until they reached the island. It was sunrise before they finally made it to shore and Marinette was disappointed to see no signs of human inhabitants.

There _were_ some coconut trees and some wild plants that she hoped were edible. While Gina set up a small camp, Marinette went to work finding food and kindling to make a fire. She also changed out of her more city-oriented clothes into her swimsuit and a wraparound skirt. She also took out her sketchbook and drew the shape of the island they'd found. She remembered hearing somewhere that to know where you are, you have to know where you've been. Hopefully the next island they came to would have people that could give her directions back to the mainland.

Fortunately for her grandmother, this adventure was oddly relaxing. She got back to camp and sharpened a few sticks.

"What are you doing, Marinette?"

"Sticks to shuck the coconuts," she sighed, putting a stick in the ground. "I saw it in a movie recently. And since we don't have much in the way of tools…we need to make do. Honestly, Nona…you could have warned me before we left Paris…given me time to prepare…"

"Where would the adventure be then?"

"This isn't an adventure, Nona. It's like one of those stupid reality shows where someone's thrown into the wild with no idea what they're doing," she groaned and picked up a coconut. She took a deep breath and slammed the coconut onto her stick, cracking it open.

They spent the rest of the day on that island, and Marinette spent most of it weaving together a basket to put their food in. Fruits and nuts ended up in the basket while fish she caught were cooked over a fire. When she finished and before she went to try and get some sleep, she made sure to write an entry in her diary.

* * *

They found another small island before a storm hit. Gina was fairly useless while Marinette struggled with the rigging, trying to keep the canoe from capsizing. A cliff came into view all too quickly and a wave came from behind. Thinking quickly, Marinette gave Mullo a magic-ron, quietly transformed and rescued her grandmother as the canoe was tossed into the cliff. They washed ashore and Marinette dropped her transformation before anyone saw her.

As if the wave had pushed them out of the storm, there was no sign of the rain and the sky was clearing up. She looked around to see several canoes in the sand, and most importantly, after she made sure her grandmother was okay, her basket and the lock box washed up along with what remained of their canoe. None of their other belongings seemed to have survived the wreck.

"You okay there, friend?" a young man called out as she went to make sure her lock box was intact.

"Yeah, but I'm pretty sure our canoe is totalled…," she sighed. "And I think my grandmother hit her head when we capsized…"

He nodded and called for some help. A group of men hurried to the beach and helped check the wreckage while a couple of them took Gina to their village. Marinette picked up her lock box and the first man picked up her basket.

"This yours?"

"Yeah…I made it on the first island we came across…a couple days ago."

"It looks pretty sturdy. You sure you're okay? That was a pretty wicked wave."

"I'm sure. Though I am hungry…"

"Well, we've got plenty of food. Come with me," he instructed and she followed him to the village.

* * *

Marinette lost track of the days while she and the villagers rebuilt the canoe. She also spent a lot of time with some of the older women in the village, learning how to make fabric from leaves and plant fibre so they would have a new sail after the original one had been deemed irreparable. She spent her down time drawing in her sketchbook and writing down the things she learned.

Finally, the canoe was seaworthy and she got the sail hung. Her grandmother spent the entire time hiking or otherwise being her usual impulsive self while Marinette learned more about wayfinding and how to get back to New Zealand. After she got fresh supplies packed and loaded in the canoe, she dragged her grandmother out and they headed off.

It took four days to get back to Auckland, partially because Marinette made sure to stop at the islands they'd found along the way to camp out and get some sleep since her grandmother still had no idea how to help on the water (fortunately she had Mullo to help while her grandmother was asleep).

When they finally made it back to the airport, they found out that they'd missed the return flight to Paris and had to go through tons of paperwork to get another flight. They had to wait a few days for the flight, so they got a hotel room and Marinette got her phone charged up.

She had a dozen missed calls and her text inbox was full of concerned messages. She checked her voicemail first. Alya had left several panicked messages asking where she was and if she was okay. Some messages were from Adrien, equally concerned. The most recent messages were from Luka, the last few threatening to use the Horse Miraculous to teleport to her to make sure she was okay. Before she got to the texts, she called Alya.

" _OMG_ girl where have you been?!" Alya shouted before she could even say hello.

"My Nona kidnapped me for the summer and we shipwrecked…," she sighed. "We were stranded until we got the canoe repaired."

"And you couldn't tell anyone where you were going?"

"I only had a vague idea of where Nona was taking me," she defended. "And it was just supposed to be like a month or so and I planned to message everyone when we got into a hotel."

"You'll have to give better details when you get back home," Alya laughed. "I mean, dragged off on some crazy adventure with your grandma and then shipwrecked for like two months?"

"Pretty much. Hey, can you call Adrien and tell him I'm okay? I've got texts to reply to and a boyfriend to reassure."

"No problem, girl. See you when you get home," Alya promised before ending the call. Just as she was about to call Luka, her phone went off with a call from him.

"Perfect timing, Luka," she laughed as she answered the call. "I was just about to call you."

"Oh good…you're okay," he sighed.

"Yes, I'm okay. Nona bought a canoe and dragged me out to sea without any preparation. Luckily I got my important things into a waterproof lock box before we set out…"

"And lucky for those books," he laughed. "So, did you get lost or something?"

"No…we got caught in a storm and the canoe slammed into a cliff. Luckily the island we washed up on was inhabited. Our flight back leaves in a couple of days."

"Okay. When your dad said you were supposed to be back a month ago, we really started to worry," he said lightly.

"Well, I'll be back soon. Leave it to my crazy grandma to get us stranded on an island with no electricity."

* * *

When she finally made it back to Paris, Marinette was greeted by all of her friends from school and a crushing hug from Luka.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hit me up on [Tumblr](https://sorcerymuses.tumblr.com/ask) or [buy me a coffee](https://ko-fi.com/nakirataisho)


	4. Dough

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While baking doughy treats, Marinette is presented with a different kind of dough

The end of semester bake sale was coming up. Usually, prep coincided with the family reunion and Marinette spent the time putting together the things to sell with her extended family from China. This year, she had a boyfriend to introduce to her mother's huge family. Knowing how he was with crowds, she told him he didn't have to stay for long or even sit through the whole explanation of how every member of her mother's family had a different title. So, he came by the bakery after all the family had piled into the (too small for the crowd) apartment.

"Okay, so you gonna be okay?" she asked Luka before she let him into the apartment.

"This is fine, Marinette," he assured her. She laughed a little and let him in. "Wow that's more than I thought…"

"And this isn't even everyone…some couldn't come this year," she told him and he swallowed nervously. " _Everyone, this is my boyfriend, Luka_ ," she told her family in Min. "Now…I told you that you didn't have to stay for all the drawn-out introductions…"

"It's fine. I also wanted to help with the baking. If…there's room."

"No offense, but you might get in the way more than help…we kind of have a system…," Sabine sighed.

"And they tend to stick to Chinese," Tom added. "I don't even get in the way when they're baking. If you really want to help, you can come with me to the Asian Market and help with some shopping."

"I can do that," Luka conceded and Tom practically dragged him out of the apartment. A moment after they'd gone, everyone started digging out their shoes and headed down to the bakery.

* * *

The family team was deep in the dough when a knocking came at the side door. Marinette went to the hand wash station and cleaned up.

"I'll be right there!" she called. " _I'll be right back_ ," she told her family before heading to the door to see who was knocking. Honestly, she was anticipating an irate customer that had seen the lights on in the bakery and smelled them working, but been unable to get inside. It wasn't their month to be closed, and her father may have forgotten to put out the sign warning people that they were closed for the weekend due to visiting family. Of course, it could have also been a tourist who couldn't be bothered to read the sign. Instead of a customer, she found Penny Rolling and another young woman.

"Oh good, you're home," Penny laughed. "Can we come in?"

"Yeah," Marinette said, stepping aside so they could come in. "Mama! Would you guys like some tea? It's kind of crowded in the bakery."

"We just came by to give you something," the stranger said lightly. "We need to speak with one or both of your parents as well, actually."

" _What's wrong_?" her mother asked as she came out of the bakery kitchen, drying her hands. "Oh, hello Penny. Why don't you guys come upstairs for some tea? I'd offer a baked good, but it's chaos in there."

"We have another appointment, otherwise we would accept. I'm Bia, one of the owners of BiLez records. It came to my attention after going through some records that your daughter never received payment for providing her work for Jagged Stone's recent albums. And I also noticed some issues with the way Bob Roth handled commissioning a minor, but we'll deal with that at a later date. For now, Mme Rolling?"

"Right," Penny laughed and pulled an envelope out of her bag. She double checked it and then handed it to Marinette. Marinette paused, but opened the envelope to reveal a check made out to her. Then, she saw the amount the check was for and fainted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hit me up on [Tumblr](https://sorcerymuses.tumblr.com/ask) or [buy me a coffee](https://ko-fi.com/nakirataisho)


	5. Babysitter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette the knight is rescued by her warrior princess charge

Armour shone in the sun from the window of the Witch's Tower, shed by a knight that had been kidnapped and forced to weave day and night by the witch. The knight worked tirelessly, waiting for her chance to defeat the witch and regain her freedom. She vaguely heard a horse approaching the tower and she put her work aside to investigate.

"I demand my knight's safe return!" the princess Annabelle called from below, pointing a sword at the top of the tower.

"If you can defeat me!" the witch retorted from the roof of the tower. A blast of magic went towards the princess and the girl dodged the attack. Another blast struck the princess' shield and was deflected into the tower. The structure shook and the knight retrieved her armour.

The tower shook again and started to fall over. The knight put her armour on and grabbed one of the tapestries. She leapt from the tower window as the structure fell and used the tapestry as a parachute to slow her fall. The witch shrieked in rage and a fire breathing dragon appeared as the tower shook the ground with its landing.

The princess dismounted her horse and helped the knight up before handing her a sword. The pair turned together and brandished their blades as the dragon came towards them. A fireball was spat at them and they both rolled out of the way.

The creature swooped down and as she went to swipe a claw at the princess, the knight stabbed her blade into the dragon's leg. The princess grabbed the dragon's other leg and scrambled up as it roared in pain and tried to shake her off. It rolled in the air and the princess was tossed into the air. With a mighty war cry, Annabelle drove her blade into the dragon's heart as she fell.

The knight cheered as the creature fell and transformed into the witch. Annabelle cleaned her sword and went to calm her horse.

"Let's go home," Annabelle sighed.

"But the Enchanted Forest," the knight argued.

"You have a point. We could go around the forest…that's what took me so long to get to you." The knight nodded in agreement and they set off.

As they went, a beautiful and sparkling peacock was warbling and pecking at a red wolf that was attacking it. The two of them looked at each other and rushed in to save the peacock from the wolf. When the wolf fell, the peacock turned to the girls and bowed its head.

"My ladies, you have done me a great service," it said majestically. "Come, I will show a safe path through--"

* * *

"Marinette! Annabelle!" Nathalie called, knocking on the bedroom door and poking her head inside. Tikki and Duusu dove between a few pillows so they wouldn't be seen. "Dinner's almost ready!"

"Coming," Marinette sighed. "Just let us clean up from our game."

"All right. Food will be on the table in fifteen minutes." The door shut and the two Kwami flew out of their hiding place. Tikki shed her little wolf costume while Marinette and Adrien's little sister put away their toy swords. Duusu and Tikki put Annabelle's hobby horse away before tucking Tikki's costumes into the box.

"Next time, I vote Duusu plays the villains," Tikki laughed while Marinette put away her cardboard knight costume.

"But you're so much better at the bad guys than Duusu…," Annabelle pouted. "Please little bug-fairy?"

"How about we flip a coin next time," Duusu suggested before flying out of the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hit me up on [Tumblr](https://sorcerymuses.tumblr.com/ask) or [buy me a coffee](https://ko-fi.com/nakirataisho)


	6. Double Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Being a superhero is hard

Being a hero was hard. She couldn't tell her parents and teachers or even her friends that she was missing things because some crazy super villain kept attacking people when they were overwhelmed with their negative emotions. It was made worse when there were times she needed to be two people at the same time in different places. Unfortunately, in those situations, Marinette often had to choose to be Ladybug.

Fortunately, there were times when she could tell someone exactly why she was bailing on them. Of course, that was only when she was babysitting Annabelle. This was one such time, a charity banquet in Ladybug and Renard Voleur's honour at the same time she was scheduled to be babysitting during. So, she told Gabriel that she'd double booked herself and she got ready.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hit me up on [Tumblr](https://sorcerymuses.tumblr.com/ask) or [buy me a coffee](https://ko-fi.com/nakirataisho)


	7. Memes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes 'The Vine' is all the reason you need

She had no idea why she'd agreed to this. Alix had convinced her to help with some crazy stunt for a TikTok bit and Marinette had hoped that her 'help' would only involve holding Alix's phone. No, Alix had Nathaniel getting the footage. Instead, Marinette's 'help' involved skating down a half-pipe with Alix on her shoulders. She knew they wouldn't make it down the ramp in one piece, but Alix insisted.

"Alix, this _really_ isn't a good idea," she groaned as Alix strapped into her gear.

"We got this, Marinette," Alix argued. "So, once we get to the other side, I'll hop onto the skateboard and finish the trick."

"If we don't manage on the first try, I'm not doing it again," she swore.

Sure enough, they got in position and once Nathaniel was filming, Marinette started down the half-pipe. She failed to keep her balance and Alix went head first into the ground while Marinette barely managed to break her own fall to keep from hitting her face.

"Come on, let's try again," Alix laughed as she got up.

" _Not happening_ ," she snapped, taking her protective gear off and storming away. "Of all the crazy things…," she muttered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hit me up on [Tumblr](https://sorcerymuses.tumblr.com/ask) or [buy me a coffee](https://ko-fi.com/nakirataisho)


	8. Goodbyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saying goodbye to someone who doesn't remember you...

Ladybug met with Chat Noir at the Eiffel Tower a few hours after everything was settled. He handed her the Turtle Bracelet and asked if she knew why Fu had been acting so strange and why she'd asked for his Miraculous.

"When he changed the box…he wiped his own memory…," she explained. "I…contacted a friend…his old lover that moved to London…she'll come to pick him up and help him get back on his feet…"

"Ladybug, are you okay?" Chat asked as she clenched the jewellery box containing the Turtle Bracelet.

"Yeah…I'm fine. I guess saying goodbye to him won't be all that bad…there wasn't really much that he taught me…so it's just kind of hollow," she sighed. But that was a half-truth. She'd cared for this old man. He was like a grandfather at points and saying goodbye was going to be hard when he had no idea who she was or what he really meant to her. Chat Noir dropped the subject with an understanding sigh and they parted ways.

"Ladybug!" Chat shouted and she paused in aiming her yo-yo to go home. She looked to her partner and he rushed to her, digging in his pocket.

"Something wrong?"

"I forgot to give you this," he sighed, pulling out a key that almost exactly matched the Lucky Charm she'd gotten in the fight with Queen Wasp (she refused to refer to the accessory ridden Akuma as Miracle Queen when she was literally Queen Wasp with a mild upgrade). "It was in Fu's stuff and he had no idea what it was for…I figured since it looked like your Lucky Charm from earlier you might know…"

"I'll ask Wayzz if he knows once I get home…thanks," she put the key into her yo-yo and headed off. When she got home, she put on the bracelet and Wayzz appeared. He told her about the key and the locker that it went to and she went to investigate it. There was a note for her along with some of Fu's larger belongings and most of his potion ingredients. There was also a key to the code in the Grimoire.

* * *

Marinette met with Fu at the train station after she'd put the contents of the locker in her room. Marianne got off the train when it arrived and Marinette led Fu to her.

"Thank you for your help, Miss," he said lightly. "You're very kind."

"It's…nothing, really," she mumbled. Marianne approached them and Marinette handed Fu's bag to her. "Thanks for coming down on such short notice, Mme Lenoir."

"Thank you for calling me to let me know what happened, Marinette. I'll take good care of him," the older woman assured her. Fu gasped beside Marinette and she stepped aside for the two of them to get reacquainted. She couldn't bring herself to do more than wave as Marianne escorted him onto the train for London. Just as she'd told Chat Noir, the goodbye felt hollow.

After all, Fu hadn't really been much more than a sort of grandfather with tons of cryptic advice. Still, she'd cared about him like he was family. The train took off and she walked home, trying not to cry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hit me up on [Tumblr](https://sorcerymuses.tumblr.com/ask) or [buy me a coffee](https://ko-fi.com/nakirataisho)


	9. Uncle Jagged

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lunch with Jagged draws out a bombshell

Marinette felt bad. With all the chaos that went down when they did the 'Fill My Shoes' segment, she actually hadn't managed to properly introduce her parents to Jagged Stone. So, she got with Penny and got Jagged to meet her and her parents for lunch at Le Bistro Gusteau.

"Hey, bro!" Jagged greeted her father when they got to the restaurant. Marinette blinked in surprise as her father clasped Jagged's hand and pulled him into a big hug.

"Wait…do they already know each other?" Marinette whispered to her mom.

"You…could say that," Sabine laughed. "Maybe you should talk to them and find out for sure."

"Okay…," she sighed. A server took them to a table in a corner and when they got settled, she looked at the two men. "So…"

"Oh, by the way," Jagged started. "Tom did you tell her?"

"It's completely slipped my mind," her father laughed. "Marinette, you know how my parents divorced before your mom and I married, right?" She nodded dumbly.

"There's no way to tell her without making Mum look bad," Jagged sighed. "Your dad and I are brothers."

"I'm sorry… _what_?!" she gasped. In a moment, she did the math and realized why Jagged had commented about making her Nona look bad. The divorce didn't happen until _after_ Jagged would have been born. "So, Nona had an affair?"

"Technically yeah…since they were still married at the time…"

" _But_ they were officially separated and just in the process of getting the divorce finalized," Tom argued. "You know how old-fashioned my father is, Marinette. He didn't want to go through with the divorce even though they avoided each other like one of them had the plague…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hit me up on [Tumblr](https://sorcerymuses.tumblr.com/ask) or [buy me a coffee](https://ko-fi.com/nakirataisho)


	10. Alter Egos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette dons a new persona

"So, what's the plan, Marinette?" Tikki asked as Marinette stared at the Miracle Box sitting on her desk. Hawkmoth knew all of her previous selections for temporary heroes…and potentially even that she'd been Multimouse during the Chasseuse de Kwamis incident. There hadn't been an Akuma in the two weeks since Miracle Queen, but it was only a matter of time. And she couldn't risk leaving a fight to get new temporary heroes to help, not after they'd tracked her to Fu.

"I can't be Ladybug anymore," she sighed.

"But--"

" _I_ can't be Ladybug anymore," she repeated. "But…someone else can be. I'm sorry Tikki. I'll miss you," she took the earrings off and put them in the jewellery box she originally found them in. Taking a deep breath, she pulled out the Rat Pendant and slipped it over her head. Mullo appeared and grinned at her.

"It's good to see you again, Marinette!" the Kwami greeted. "Where's Tikki?"

"In the Earrings…I'm giving them to someone else so I can assign temporary heroes without risking my identity," she explained.

"Oh, okay then. That makes sense. So, what's our first mission?"

"Picking up our new Ladybug," she laughed. "Let's get squeaky!" She called for her transformation, willing the suit to be different than the one Chat Noir had seen Multimouse in.

When her transformation settled, she looked in the mirror and smiled at the more detailed outfit. A simple grey pantsuit with pink clasps down the front of her top, black gloves and flats. A pink rope belt made her tail and her rope dart was tucked into a pouch on the belt. She'd maintained the details on the mask and her buns.

Satisfied, she put the jewellery box with the earrings in her pouch and headed out, looking for the girl that she had in mind. She found Alya on a date with Nino and waited until the couple parted ways. Carefully, she followed Alya until there were no potential witnesses.

"Excuse me," she started, landing behind Alya. Her friend gasped and whirled around to face her. "Are you Alya Césaire?"

"Yeah…who are you?"

"Viele," she said lightly, bowing a little. "Ladybug sent me to find you. But we need to talk in a more private place."

"Oh! Of course. Secret identities and all that…," Alya trailed off and looked around. "There's an alley right there."

"With a conveniently placed dumpster," she agreed, looking down the alley. The two of them went behind the dumpster.

"So, what does Ladybug want me for? I can't be Rena Rouge again with Hawkmoth knowing who I am…" Marinette sighed and handed the jewellery box over. Alya opened it eagerly and nearly dropped the box when she saw the earrings. "But these are _her_ earrings!"

"Ladybug's retiring," she said severely as Tikki appeared in a ball of light and the earrings that were usually simple black studs became a dark pink with rose coloured metal. "She called on me to give _you_ the earrings. Until Hawkmoth is defeated, she wants you to use the earrings to protect Paris."

"Oh wow…I'm honoured…," Alya mumbled, putting the earrings on. "I'll do my best to try and be just as good a hero as Ladybug."

"Ladybug wouldn't have trusted you with this mission if she didn't believe you already _are_ a good hero," she assured her.

"Thank you…"

Marinette nodded and leapt to a roof before heading home.

* * *

Later that same day, an Akuma appeared and Paris was buzzing about the new spotted heroine calling herself Koksinèl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hit me up on [Tumblr](https://sorcerymuses.tumblr.com/ask) or [buy me a coffee](https://ko-fi.com/nakirataisho)


	11. Gamer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette plays games

Marinette's new favourite game was a VRMMO on the new full dive system that her uncle had bought for her for Christmas. She was part of a guild that mostly comprised of female players, her friend Juleka included. The interesting part of the game was a lack of magic, forcing players that were used to magic in fantasy games to rely on other methods of dominating.

Her _favourite_ part of the game was that the system only assisted with weapon combinations if you made the right motion to trigger it, which meant that players that had 'IRL' combat training or otherwise had an advantage that the game just built upon at higher levels.

And she had _plenty_ of experience. Unfortunately, her experience made one of the other Parisian players upset enough to get himself Akumatized after she beat him in a PvP tournament. She had the bad luck of beating just the wrong male gamers that would get butthurt about a girl demolishing them in a digital scape.

Ladybug and Renard Voleur beat the Akuma fairly easily, but when she logged back in later that day, she found out that the guy had been banned from the game for the events of the day. She nearly suggested filing a complaint about an unjust ban, but there were apparently other reasons beyond a simple Akumatization.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hit me up on [Tumblr](https://sorcerymuses.tumblr.com/ask) or [buy me a coffee](https://ko-fi.com/nakirataisho)


	12. Kwami Mom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shenanigans among the Kwami

Marinette almost regretted finding that spell in the Grimoire scans that could let the Kwami roam free even when their attached Miraculous wasn't in use. She found herself almost constantly having to wrangle Kwami exploring the house and sneaking into the bakery. Of course, it was made harder when she found out that they could _turn invisible_ on top of the phasing through solid objects thing. So, she had to lay down some rules for her miniature charges.

Of course, none of them were happy with her trying to be firm. They were all too excited about being able to leave the Box. The final straw was when _Mullo and Wayzz_ got caught by her mom in the bakery swiping end of day gruyere for a snack.

"That's it!" she gasped after (hopefully) convincing her mom that it was a trick of the light. "You two are grounded," she said severely, pulling the Turtle Bracelet out of the Box and taking off the Rat Pendant. "Honestly…I expected it to be Xuppu that got caught first…and hopefully all of you will realize I'm serious about the rules. My uncle figured us out, and my boyfriend knows, but no one else can see you guys! _Especially_ in the bakery. If the wrong person sees you, they could think the bakery has a rodent problem and we could get shut down," she reminded the Kwami as she hung the two Miraculous on her pin board across the room from the Box.

She realized how her parents must feel on the rare occasion she got in trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hit me up on [Tumblr](https://sorcerymuses.tumblr.com/ask) or [buy me a coffee](https://ko-fi.com/nakirataisho)


	13. Domestic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As an adult, Marinette does adult things ~~like cleaning house~~

It was that time of year again, but this time, Marinette had her own big house to host the huge family reunion. And she was glad for it, because apparently Kagami had a big family that was on the way from Japan to join in on the reunion. They spent the entire week cleaning house with the Kwami and going through their groceries to see what they would need for the food that would be made.

Abruptly, tiny tools clattered as the Kwami abandoned their cleaning supplies in a box on the top shelf and flew off to hide. She looked up from the flower pot she was working on trimming to see her cousin Guo Liu coming into the house.

"Liu!" she gasped. "You're early…"

"I came to help," her cousin laughed. "With such a big house…and everyone will be here tomorrow…"

"Well, we're almost done, actually. Kagami and I keep the house pretty clean anyways."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hit me up on [Tumblr](https://sorcerymuses.tumblr.com/ask) or [buy me a coffee](https://ko-fi.com/nakirataisho)


	14. Compass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A magic pendulum points the way to Marinette's truth

After Capitaine Hardrock was taken care of and the music festival back on track, Ladybug pulled Carapace aside.

"The old guy that gave me this said to turn it over to you after everything was done," he said lightly, dropping his transformation to reveal that he was _Nino_ and taking the bracelet off.

"Thank you," she took the bracelet from him and put it in her pocket. "I don't know if he told you when he gave you the Miraculous, but you can't tell anyone else that you were Carapace today."

"Yeah, that was kind of a given Dudette," he laughed. Ladybug nodded lightly and opened a portal to slip away. She stepped out of her portal into Fu's apartment and handed him the bracelet before dropping her transformation.

"Thanks for getting us backup," she sighed.

"It seemed like you needed the help."

"You're right about that…"

"Something's bothering you,"

"Not really," she sighed. "I should be getting back. My cousin's band is playing and I promised I'd be there for the show."

"Of course. Family commitments are very important…but before you go, I have something for you," he said, pulling out a box. "This is something that Gabriel and his wife recovered in their travels. I believe you should have it." He offered the box to her.

"What is it?" she asked, taking the box from him. She opened it to answer her own question and found a pendant similar to the one Tikki had gifted her on her birthday.

"I believe it is a Zhēnlǐ bǎi considering the emblem engraved on it," he explained, pointing out the characters 真相 engraved on the pendant. "According to legend, it will guide the holder to their truth."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Someone's truth could be anything from a soul mate or a found heir…it can only show the path, you have to figure out where that path leads."

"Did you use it?" she asked, lifting the pendant out of the box.

"Yes, and it led me to you," he said with a sly grin. "Not just to be Ladybug, but you have shown yourself more than capable of taking up the mantle of Guardian one day. Look, it's already reacting to you." She looked to see the jewel swinging in her hand and seeming to point somewhere like a compass.

"Thank you…," she sighed before putting the pendant in her purse and opening a portal back to her aunt's house boat. When she made it back to the deck where Juleka and Luka were finishing up the band set up with Rose and Ivan, Adrien arrived, tugging Kagami along behind him.

She felt movement in her purse and opened it discreetly to see what Tikki wanted. Rather than Tikki, it was the pendant that had moved, Tikki was holding it firmly with a serious look on her face. Marinette paused to see what the pendant was trying to point her to when her eyes met with Kagami's.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hit me up on [Tumblr](https://sorcerymuses.tumblr.com/ask) or [buy me a coffee](https://ko-fi.com/nakirataisho)


	15. Ultimate Power

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final battle against Hawkmoth leads to Marinette calls on the fabled ultimate power...(Warning for character death and blood)

It was finally their time. Sure, it was a Scarlet Moth incident, but Marinette and the other heroes were much more prepared this time around. They had him cornered, but all but Viele were moments away from losing their transformations. First to lose her transformation was Pavona, revealing herself as Lila. Marinette was honestly not surprised by that, though the other heroes (except Luka) reacted with enough shock that timers were completely forgotten.

"Lila? But you were friends with Ladybug…," Koksinèl gasped, approaching the Italian.

"She was never friends with Ladybug," Chat Noir corrected as Koksinèl's transformation fell away.

"Then…why lie?"

Lila merely scoffed as Chat Noir was the next to lose his transformation. _Adrien_ glared at her with a fire that Marinette had never seen from him. Within a moment of shocked gasps, Viele and Hawkmoth were the only ones still transformed.

"And just like that, I've won," Hawkmoth gloated.

"You've won _nothing_!" Viele snapped, pulling her tool out of its pouch at her waist.

"Oh my god the rat has a knife," Lila gasped. Viele smirked and turned the blade in her hand.

"More than just a knife," she said darkly. She knew what she had to do. "Multitude," she growled and she ran her free hand along the blade, pushing the multiplying energy into the weapon to turn it into a sword. Luka held the others back as she ran towards Hawkmoth. He drew the trick sword out of his cane and blocked her first attack.

It felt like forever, but the clashing of their blades probably only lasted a few minutes. When it was over, Viele was covered in blood and _Gabriel Agreste_ fell dead at her feet, his head severed by a decisive strike. Her blade shrank back to a simple knife and she put it away before turning to the heroes. Her friends that had just watched her commit murder.

"Your Miraculous, please," she sighed. All of them, even Alya and Adrien turned over their Miraculous to her and she turned to Lila. The Italian looked at Gabriel's corpse and promptly threw her Miraculous at Viele and fled the scene.

* * *

The defeat of Hawkmoth was all over the news, along with shocked commentary on her brutality against him. Marinette turned the news off after taking her fifth shower after the fight. All of the Miraculous were safely in the Box except for three. While she was in the shower, she'd contemplated trying to use the wish. The Ultimate Power that could shape reality at a cost.

So, she picked up the ring and put it on. Plagg appeared and said nothing to her, like he knew what she was planning. She put the earrings in and Tikki responded the same way to being called out. She flipped to a page in the grimoire and invoked the spell to call for the wish.

Abruptly, she was surrounded by pure white light and when she reached out, her desk and everything was gone. As she got her bearings, the space seemed to look something like Bunnix's burrow with little windows showing moments in time. Was this what the Ultimate Power really was? Shaping reality by changing time? If that was the case, then what made Bunnix's power any different or less powerful? Maybe Bunnix could only actually make changes if something went wrong within a certain timeframe. Changing things in the far past would have more cost than changing one decision that led to the end of the world less than a couple of months later.

While she was considering this, a black blob floated towards her.

"Congratulations on successfully calling for me," the blob said with a hollow but vast tone. "What do you wish?"

"That the Order of the Guardians never fell. Fu never made Festin or damaged the Peacock Miraculous and lost it and the Butterfly…," she sighed. If Fu's mistake never happened, she wouldn't have had to kill Gabriel.

"That…is a rather hefty wish," it said, floating to a window. She followed, wondering if it was going to show her what the cost would be if she officially asked for that. The scene in the window was of her parents. There were no photos on the walls of her. The scene shifted to the Couffaine's houseboat, where Luka was serenading some girl, probably from his school. Then, she was shown the Agreste mansion, which was occupied by Adrien, his eerily identical cousin, and the woman she assumed was Félix's mother. No sign of Nathalie, Gabriel or Adrien's mom. His bodyguard was still there though.

"I don't understand…if the Miraculous are never lost then…"

"There are many other things that would be affected by this wish. You are being shown what would matter the most to you."

"…No pictures in my home…Luka with someone else…Adrien still losing his parents…," she mumbled. "All over one change…"

"Do you still wish to have this request granted?"

"I would never be born, Gabriel…his wife and Nathalie…four lives in exchange for the Miraculous never being lost in the first place to be found by someone to cause untold terror…," she mulled it over and nodded. "Yes. I'm sure."

"Then so shall it be."

* * *

Marinette was surprised to open her eyes after the…what had she been worried about not waking up from? A familiar voice was singing and she looked to see Luka singing a soft ballad to her. She smiled and wondered if it had all been a dream. The white room with all the windows and that black blob really did seem like just a dream.

"Marinette, your dad's here," Juleka called from the deck and Luka leaned over to kiss her before she got up and hurried to the deck. For a split second she was shocked at who she saw, but then she almost immediately forgot _why_ she would be shocked about her father coming to drag her off to the concert in London.

"Come on, honey," Jagged Stone drawled. "We're gonna miss the train if you stick around snogging your boyfriend any longer."

"Dad…," she moaned, blushing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah...unfortunately I couldn't come up with a less angsty way to do this...and I know it's probably nowhere near in the 'positivity' requirement except the tail end...  
> Hit me up on [Tumblr](https://sorcerymuses.tumblr.com/ask) or [buy me a coffee](https://ko-fi.com/nakirataisho)


	16. Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette tries to help Chloé by being her friend...

Marinette smiled a little as she helped with her dad's Home Economics lecture demonstrating making Macarons. While her classmates were making their ganache, Chloé was complaining loudly about the situation.

"Do you seriously think I'm going to get my hands dirty, cooking like some maid?" she griped. "If I want a croissant, I just make my butler get it for me."

"Honestly…we're making Macarons, Chloé," Sabrina sighed.

"Baba, I'm going to go help Chloé…everyone else has their hands full," Marinette sighed. Her father nodded and she went to Chloé's station. "You don't have to get dirty. Just keep your arms tucked against your sides…," she picked up Chloé's bowl and demonstrated. Chloé pouted, but copied her pose. "And slow but decisive flick of the wrist…like you're gesturing in ballet." She handed the bowl to the blonde and Chloé tried mixing the ganache.

"Once your ganache is thoroughly blended, let it rest for one minute before putting it in your station's cooler while we work on the cookies," Tom instructed, putting his own bowl in the fridge and getting out the egg whites. "I'm sure your teacher went over--" the fire alarms started blaring and everyone put their bowls down to file out of the room. Mme Bustier rushed to the phone on her desk and called the office before following the students into the hall and down the stairs.

"Everyone stay calm, it's just a small fire in the science lab and this is a precaution," she explained to them.

Unfortunately, the fire didn't seem to be under control and school was cancelled for the rest of the day while the fire department came out and got things taken care of.

* * *

Marinette was taking pictures of Rose, Juleka, Mylène, Alya and Sabrina in some of her hats and accessories for her website. Her phone went off as she was taking Sabrina's picture and after she'd saved the picture, she checked the message. It was from Chloé.

"That's weird…," she mumbled.

"What happened? Is it from Adrien?"

"No…they're still in Milan…it's from Chloé."

 _Sabrina's ignoring me. Need help with homework_ , was the message.

"What does she want?" Sabrina asked.

"Help with homework…," she sighed. _Be there in a few. This is Chloé, right? Not Coco?_ She replied.

_Rude. This is Chloé,_ _😎_

She shook her head a little and grabbed her school bag.

"You're not actually going to go, are you?" Alya groaned.

"Yeah. I mean, she's been going to therapy and she's been doing…kind of better. And you know I won't take her crap if she tries to pull anything. But she really needs just a genuine friend right now…no offense, Sabrina."

"None taken, I know I was less of her friend and more a minion…," Sabrina laughed. Marinette sighed and headed for the door.

"Once you guys get changed, get out," she told her friends seriously before heading to the garage. She grabbed her bike and put on her helmet before riding down to the street level, barely pausing to check for traffic in the alley behind her building before heading to the hotel.

When she got there, the valet took her bike to the garage for her and she headed inside. The clerk greeted her with a wave.

"Marinette, your uncle's not in right now," she told her.

"I know. He's in Milan for a concert," she agreed. "No, I'm here to hang out with Chloé," she explained before heading to the elevator. She went up to Chloé's room and after Jean-Yves let her into the room, she was surprised to see Chloé steadily working on something besides her homework. "Chloé…"

"Oh, I figured it out while you were on the way. Now I need help with this party," she laughed. "My therapist said that putting on a party might ease everyone into the new me…"

"It'll take more than just a party for just about everyone…," Marinette sighed. "You'd have to be a good host and show that you're really trying. _Without_ switching with Coco."

"I know…I know…could you help me with it? I don't black out as often around you…"

"So, you want a grounding rod more than just help."

"No! My dad told the staff not to put a single thing up without a layout that I drew…so I have to come up with how the party should look without letting anyone do it for me…"

"Well, I guess I can help. What are friends for?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hit me up on [Tumblr](https://sorcerymuses.tumblr.com/ask) or [buy me a coffee](https://ko-fi.com/nakirataisho)


	17. Designer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette draws up some designs for a wedding

A small web producer named Bia Floros and her partner Dimi were going to be having a handfasting ceremony and they'd commissioned Marinette to design the wardrobe with a theme of Ancient Greece. She did a lot of research into Greek tradition surrounding the ceremony and drew up the designs inspired by ancient styles but with a modern touch. She showed the couple her initial sketches and they loved them, so she went to the next phase of the designs, cleaning up the sketches and deciding on fabric types. She made a date out of picking the fabrics, calling Chloé to come along.

"I don't see how this could be a date…," Chloé muttered as they headed for the fabric store.

"We can go to lunch after, but I mostly wanted to spend time with you," Marinette laughed. "A date doesn't have to always be picnics or movies."

"Okay…it gets me out of my room for a little while anyways. So, what are you after in here?"

"Fabric and notions for a wedding party," she said lightly, heading for the formal fabrics.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hit me up on [Tumblr](https://sorcerymuses.tumblr.com/ask) or [buy me a coffee](https://ko-fi.com/nakirataisho)


	18. Rare Pairs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An awkward first date is interrupted by an Akuma...

Marinette smiled a little as she got ready. It was her first official date with Chloé and she was happy with how much the blonde had changed in such a short time. She slipped into a nice sundress and put on a matching wide brim hat before checking her makeup. Satisfied with how she looked, Marinette headed down to the kitchen to get her picnic basket.

"Heading out, sweetie?" her mom asked.

"Yeah. Chloé and I are going on a picnic," she said, double checking the basket. "Mom…did you put these Youtiao in here?"

"Made them fresh a little while ago. Have fun on your date." Marinette nodded and took her basket to the garage. She put it in the basket of her bike and rode to the Trocadéro. She spotted Adrien and Annabelle in a cordoned off area with their bodyguards keeping an eye out. She waved to them before setting up her picnic. Right as she finished laying out the blanket, Chloé came over to her.

"Sorry I'm late. Traffic was ridiculous."

"It's fine," she assured her and sat down. "Well? You can't eat standing up…"

"On the ground? Do you have any idea how much these pants cost?"

"More than they should have. Pants with that kind of stitching aren't made to be worn more than once anyways," she laughed. "It's not going to kill you to sit on a blanket like the common folk." Chloé made a face, but sat down carefully, tucking herself in a way that she didn't touch the grass at all. Just as Chloé was about to say something, a nearby baby started throwing a tantrum.

"Ugh, can't that person just shut that baby up already?" Chloé griped.

"The baby probably wants something it can't have," Marinette defended. "Not everyone can afford to give their children everything they demand…"

"And that's--" Chloé cut herself off, probably realizing where she was going with that thought. "I mean…that's…a shame…" the child quieted just then.

"See? The parents have it handled." They started talking about school work and how Chloé's therapy sessions were going.

"I didn't black out during my dad's recent press conferences," Chloé said softly after a few minutes.

"That's great, Chloé," Marinette said lightly. "Let's see…it was Olivia that took over during press conferences, right?"

"Yes…you know, it's really nice having someone to talk to about this stuff," Chloé said, reaching to touch Marinette's hand. Marinette smiled and held her hand. "It's amazing how much has changed in such a short time…"

"I know," she agreed. Suddenly, the ground shook and she looked to see what was causing it.

Marinette's eyes went wide as a giant baby started stomping around. She vaguely saw Adrien running off with his sister in his arms. The baby pulled a sign from the ground and put it in its mouth before throwing the sign down with an angry shout. She leapt up and pulled Chloé to her feet.

"Let's get out of here!" she gasped, tugging Chloé along. They got separated while fleeing the scene and the only thing that stopped her from trying to find her girlfriend was the need to hide and transform to take care of the Akuma.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hit me up on [Tumblr](https://sorcerymuses.tumblr.com/ask) or [buy me a coffee](https://ko-fi.com/nakirataisho)


	19. Past Lives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An Akuma blasts Marinette and Adrien into a past life before they can transform...

The Ferris Wheel had broken down and Ladybug and Queen B happened to be out on patrol and able to get the riders to the ground while mechanics tried to figure out what was wrong. Queen B even tried using her Honeycomb and Honeybee Sparkler to help speed the repairs. While the heroines were helping, Ladybug found a familiar school bag. Of course, it was only familiar because she was the one that made it, but she knew who it belonged to and she set the bag aside, searching for other left behind belongings.

There was enough left behind that Queen B offered to help return everything. Luckily for them both, everything that had been left behind except for the school bag had addresses clearly labelled. So, they gathered the things and parted ways. Ladybug saved the school bag for last and when she returned it to Mireille, the girl was in a panic over losing her bag.

"I think you left this on the Ferris Wheel earlier?" Ladybug said, holding the bag out to her. Mireille shouted excitedly and clutched the bag to her chest.

"Thank you so much, Ladybug!"

"It's not a problem. I know things were hectic back there. Have a nice day," she said before vaulting away. She got home and dropped her transformation before turning on her computer. There was a notification about a new post to the Ladyblog, so she opened the site and checked the video.

"Look at that action with Ladybug and Queen B!" Alya said on the video of them helping with the Ferris Wheel. It was always strange watching herself in videos. "Whoa, what was that?!" Alya ran over to something that had fallen as Ladybug vaulted by with everything she was returning. "Is this Ladybug's or someone else's? Either way, it's a history book that matches mine! This could be a great lead to who Ladybug really is!"

"She's _still_ after my identity?" Marinette groaned.

"I thought she'd toned down with that since Lady Wifi…," Tikki sighed.

"I thought that too…and I went and lost Mireille's book…and I can't quite go up to Alya and ask for it back without revealing myself…"

"We'll figure something out," Tikki assured her. Her phone went off with a message from Adrien.

_Taking Annabelle to the Louvre, wanna join us?_

_Sure!_ She replied. _Bring your notebook, we can take notes at the Egypt exhibit for some extra cred in history while we're there_.

 _Good idea!_ He responded almost immediately and she got her own notebook. She put the notebook in her bigger purse and went to the museum on her bike. Adrien and Annabelle got there at the same time. Marinette went to greet Adrien with a light kiss on the cheek. She then spotted Nino and Alya on the approach.

"Hey guys!" she called to them. The couple joined them.

"Let me guess, you guys had the same idea to nab some extra credit?"

"And my little sister wanted to see some of the new statues," Adrien laughed. "So, I saw on the Ladyblog you found something Ladybug dropped?"

"Yeah, she had a lot of lost stuff with her, so it may have been someone else's…but it's the best lead I've had so far. It's the book _our school_ uses in Troisième."

"Honestly babe…," Nino sighed. Marinette shook her head a little. The group started into the museum and Marinette found herself with a five-year-old clinging to her leg while they headed down the stairs. She laughed a little and acted as if Annabelle wasn't weighing her leg down, despite struggling to lift her leg to step down.

"Annabelle…," Adrien chided. Marinette shook her head at him.

"I didn't realize you brought your sister," she joked. "Where is she?"

"Oh no, we must have lost her," Alya gasped, catching onto the joke.

"We should hurry and find her before something happens!" Nino agreed. Adrien stared at them blankly.

"She wanted to look at the statues, maybe she ran off in that direction," Marinette laughed. The other two nodded and they headed for the exhibit.

"What are you guys doing?" Adrien hissed.

"It's a game," Alya laughed. "We need to educate him on having a little sibling out in the world, Nino."

"Yeah," he agreed. "Dude, look at her."

When they got to the exhibit, Marinette started acting as though she was looking for Annabelle. Just as she was about to say something, alarms started going off.

"Attention visitors, there is an Akuma in the building. Please remain calm and exit the museum. We will reopen once the issue is dealt with," a voice announced and Marinette sighed, picking Annabelle up.

"Hey!"

"No time for games now, Annabelle…we have to get out of here so Ladybug, Renard Voleur and Queen B can help this person," she explained as they joined the line to exit the museum. As they went, she tried to think of a way to get away from the crowd to transform.

"Look out!" someone shouted and Marinette looked to see a beam of energy coming right at her. She shoved Annabelle into Nino's arms, but didn't have time to dodge it herself as a bright light engulfed her.

* * *

Adrien stared in horror as Xiaolian was struck with an attack and vanished completely. He _really_ needed to get away from the crowd so he could transform and help Ladybug! As far as he could tell, his girlfriend's life was at stake. People started to panic as another beam came at the line.

"Adrien, watch out!" Alya shouted, too late, as a beam struck Adrien.

* * *

Marinette opened her eyes and blinked to clear the spots from her vision. She was surprised when she looked around to find the museum gone and what looked like a movie set for a film set in Ancient Egypt. She looked at herself to find her clothes changed from the sundress she'd been wearing to a simple gown. She was also suddenly wearing gold cuffs and old-fashioned sandals. She gasped and checked her ears and sighed in relief when her fingers connected with her earrings.

"Sxpr, are you okay?" Tikki asked, floating in front of her. She paused, wondering what happened.

"I'm…fine."

"Great, because there's a problem. The enforcers are being called. I'm not sure what's going on though," Tikki told her. "Sxpr? Pharaoh is waiting for us…it's usually sAb and bit that are late when we're summoned."

"Right…I'm coming," she sighed.

* * *

At the same time, Queen B was coming up on the museum. Oddly enough, Ladybug and Renard Voleur weren't there yet. She landed beside two familiar faces in the crowd: Alya and Nino.

"Any sign of Ladybug or Renard Voleur?" she asked them.

"No, and I'm getting kind of scared…that Akuma did something to my friends Marinette and Adrien…they completely vanished…and the Akuma Watch doesn't really have anything to say about the new villain…"

Frowning, the hero opened her trompo and checked the blog in question.

_We apologize, but the only thing we know about this mysterious Akuma is that the victim is Jalil Kubdel and the Akuma is located in a pendant._

"That's…unusual," Queen B sighed. "Hang tight, we'll have this taken care of soon." She rushed into the museum to find the Akuma. She barely got a glimpse of a shadowy figure before a bright light struck her.

* * *

Almost as if by muscle memory, Marinette walked through the halls of the building with Tikki floating along beside her. She supposed that whatever was going on, everyone knew that she was 'an enforcer' and there was no need for secrecy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes I know it's 'not finished' but I don't want to spoil the chapter in my rewrite  
> Hit me up on [Tumblr](https://sorcerymuses.tumblr.com/ask) or [buy me a coffee](https://ko-fi.com/nakirataisho)

**Author's Note:**

> Hit me up on [Tumblr](https://sorcerymuses.tumblr.com/ask) or [buy me a coffee](https://ko-fi.com/nakirataisho)


End file.
